Kelley was browsing on Amazon.com when he became amused after stumbling upon the horse head, which he debuted before Thursday’s game, naming it “Seabiscuit.” The Yankees hadn’t lost until Tuesday night, a 5-2 defeat to the Tigers.

“When I see those things, randomly in a crowd, it makes me laugh,” Kelley told Yahoo. “So I figured I’ll do that, and it’ll make everyone laugh in the clubhouse.

“And then we went on a winning streak.”

As absurd as it may sounds, the Yankees aren’t discounting its role in their changing fortune.

“Kelley’s undefeated with the horse,” Jacoby Ellsbury said. “I’m never going to go against that.”

Maybe next year, the Yankees will have to make room for Alex Rodriguez’s centaur painting.